May 20, 2011
Major Moment for Action on U.S.-Colombia Policy
A new government in Colombia that’s more open to dialogue, but continued threats and attacks against human rights defenders and displaced leaders. Budget battles in the U.S. Congress. Colombian peace communities in danger. Pressure increasing to approve the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement. With all that’s been happening, we’ve had a busy last couple months in our advocacy and education efforts to promote human rights and peace in U.S. policies towards Colombia—and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down any time soon.
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Honduras: Ask Your Member of Congress to Sign Human Rights Letter
Reps. McGovern (D-MA), Schakowsky (D-IL) and Farr (D-CA) are asking other members of the House to sign a letter to Secretary of State Clinton that calls on the Honduran government to address severe human rights problems in the country.
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Silencing Democracy: Threats Against Honduran Community Radio
In Honduras, community radio promotes human rights, gives a voice to the voiceless, encourages citizen organization and participation, and provides education to some of the country’s most vulnerable populations. This is why the continuous threats against community radio stations and journalists in Honduras are extremely concerning.
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Attacks against Human Rights Defenders Sweeps Northern Mexico
In 2008, as military operations in Ciudad Juárez surged, Josefina Reyes Salazar, an outspoken critic of pervasive violence against women, summoned her courage and determinedly denounced the militarization in her home state of Chihuahua. Not long after, her son Miguel Ángel was kidnapped by the military and her other son, Julio César, was brutally murdered. Josefina openly blamed the army for the slaying of her son and, despite persistent death threats, tirelessly voiced her demands for justice.
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Sobering Facts: Colombia's Displacement Crisis in 2010
Last year, 280,041 Colombian civilians were forced to leave their homes, fleeing from the extreme violence of Colombia’s decades-long conflict. This statistic is the centerpiece of a February Spanish-language report published by the Colombian human rights NGO CODHES, a group that has worked tirelessly for nearly two decades to shed light on the human rights crisis in Colombia.
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Cuba Travel Guidelines
We’ve all been chomping at the bit waiting for the final piece of the new travel regulations puzzle: the Treasury Department guidelines. The guidelines were issued on Thursday, April 21. Now we have the full picture; let the travel begin.
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No Relief in Sight: Land and Violence in the Caribbean Coast of Colombia
In April 2011, Latin America Working Group Education Fund (LAWGEF) and Lutheran World Relief (LWR) staff visited Córdoba, Sucre and the city of Barranquilla in northern Colombia to evaluate ongoing violence, potential for land returns to displaced people, and protection for human rights defenders and communities. The trip focused on many of LWR’s partners, from small farmer associations to nongovernmental groups providing services in poor urban areas.
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Message to Congress: Don't Turn Your Backs on Vulnerable People in Latin America
U.S. aid that helps people in need, as they recover from natural disasters, flee from conflicts, and struggle in poverty, is on the chopping block as the Congress takes up the President’s FY2012 foreign aid budget request. Based on a letter we sent with our partners, the Latin America Working Group’s director Lisa Haugaard testified before the House Foreign Operations Subcommittee with the following appeal.
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Support Our Work
Here in DC we are continuing to push for action against the Colombia FTA, travel for all Americans to Cuba, and immigration and border policies that protect migrants and border communities. This coming year will bring with it new challenges for U.S. policy toward Latin America. To help us work together with you for just policies towards our Latin American neighbors, please click here to make a generous contribution today.
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